Letter: Senior Center garden in jeopardy

There is a beautiful garden at our Willits Senior Center that is in danger of being almost entirely ripped out to the bare ground. I was there yesterday when two young women came by with their children. One woman said that whenever they come to the Senior Center Thrift Store they come over to see the garden too. She said that it's the most beautiful garden in Willits.

This garden provides fresh vegetables for the meals at the Senior Center. Unfortunately, the kitchen has refused a lot of the fresh vegetables because they say they do not have the help to wash them.

The garden brings in income for the center by selling plants at the Thrift Store. It gives so many people refreshment and pleasure to walk through it.

The Senior Center Director and the Garden Committee think that all the plants should be dug up to the bare ground except for the flowers on the front fence, the fruit trees and the grapes. It was stated in a letter from the Director, "The water and soil must be tested as soon as possible. We need to be ready and compliant with the current state laws for public gardens and the produce that comes out of them." Yet there have been no plans for the Health Department to come and observe and test the water and soil. If they do come, why not test things the way they are now instead of destroying most of the garden before they might come?

The caretakers of this garden, Mac Smith and Devi Chase, have built it up over the last five years. They have put in over 18,000 volunteer hours. They can only use the well water at the Center which is very high in iron. This water is only used on adult plants because it kills the new seedlings. So Mac brings 50 gallons of water a day from their home to water the seedlings. They buy seeds, garden tools and most of the compost themselves.

There was contention concerning the three cats who lived at the garden. They were born there from a stray cat. Mac and Devi cared for them, getting them neutered and their shots. These cats took care of the mice and vole population. Mac and Devi were told to remove them from the garden. So now they are at home with them.

It seems there is a rare disease that can be caused from cat pooh. It also can be caused from rare meat. But the chance of catching this disease is one in over a million from each of these causes.

If you readers have never had the pleasure of visiting this garden, please come by. Whenever Mac and Devi are there, it is open for visitors, and they are pleased to show you around.